(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a washing device for a rotary filling machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a washing device mounted on a rotary filling machine, which device comprises the same number of washing liquid pipes as the number of filling nozzles, a driving mechanism and a vertically moving mechanism to actuate said washing liquid pipes, and is characterized in that, during the filling step, said washing liquid pipes are moved to positions in which they do not interrupt the movement of the bottles to be filled, and during the washing step, said washing liquid pipes are caused to engage with said filling nozzles. Thus the washing of the liquid flow passages can be easily and effectively carried out.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional method for washing the insides of filling nozzles, liquid tanks and so forth of a rotary filling machine, the liquid tank is filled with washing liquid and the washing liquid is flowed into bottles from the filling nozzles just like the usual filling operation, or the washing liquid pipes of a separately provided washing machine are pressed against the open ends of the filling nozzles so as to force open the valves within the filling nozzles and the washing liquid is supplied in the reverse flow direction to the flow direction of the filling liquid.
In the former method, however, there are several disadvantages, namely, that the air discharge pipes attached in the filling nozzles can not be washed, the bottles for receiving the washing liquid have to be prepared, and in addition, the washing liquid must be discharged from the bottles. In the latter method, after fitting the end portions of the washing liquid pipes to the openings of the filling nozzles, the washing liquid pipes must be raised in order to force open the valves of the filling nozzles. This method takes a large amount of labour and time since the positioning of the washing liquid pipes takes much time and in addition, the operation must be repeated so as to wash all of the filling nozzles.